"Each person feels pain in his own way, each has his own scars"

Haruki Murakami

PROTECTING YOU

Daisy stopped in front of Erika, her arms folded and her eyes sharp like knives, observing her: a young woman (in her late twenties?), with short straight hair and blue eyes (a deep and icy blue), not much tall and only a bit overweight. She noticed a ringer on her left hand, a wedding ring. That woman was the daughter of Andrew Salinger, and maybe Enos' sister: Daisy couldn't forget that particular, and she tried to find any possible likeness between Enos and Erika, but there was no physical likeness.

"Why are you here?"

A direct and short question: typical of a hot-tempered woman as Daisy.

Erika Salinger folded her arms, a different way of folding arms, defensive toward aggressive.

"You should present yourself, don't you think?"

Daisy had a deep sigh, taking her time to analyze the woman's voice: soft and a bit hoarse, so different from Enos' one, but, anyway, women' voices are different from men's voices, so their difference had no meaning.

"My name is Daisy Duke, and I'm…", a brief pause, "Enos' fiancée", in effect, she was Enos' fiancée in everything it meant, "and I know who YOU are, Erika Salinger, and I suppose you're here because of what happened to Enos' mother and your father".

Vague: it was better to stay on a vague path (no reference to suicide, homicide or possible brotherhood) before to understand exactly what Erika knew 'bout that thing and to know exactly why she arrived to Hazzard. Daisy was enough clever to control any possible leak of complicated and compromising news.

"I won't allow you to bother Enos. He's already enough problems, and grief, to face, without your unpleasant presence"

The riot act.

Erika had a brief grimace, a soft moving of her lips coupled with a knitting of her brows and a gentle bending of her head, in a mix of rage, thoughtfulness and worrisome, and Daisy held her breath: that woman wasn't physically alike to Enos, but that facial look was something Daisy knew pretty well (how many times did she see that kind of expression on Enos' face?).

"First of all, you CAN'T order me anything, Daisy Duke. Your fiancée's mother killed my father"

Daisy forced herself not to jump in surprise: that woman knew everything 'bout the way Enos' mother and her father died.

"And since it seems they were… lovers", in Erika's voice disgust and rage, "I want to know how and when it started, and how much it lasted".

Daisy recollected all her thoughts, trying to go back to that vague path, say and not to say, especially 'bout a possible brotherhood.

"Enos doesn't know anything 'bout it, so it's pointless to talk to him. His mother left when he was 5 years old, and he doesn't know what his mother did, or people she met, since then"

Erika shook her head, "His mother stayed several times at Ridge Institute, and your fiancée visited her. So, it's no true he doesn't know anything 'bout his mother"

Daisy held her breath: that woman seemed to know too much things, and Erika confirmed even more Daisy's suspicion.

"Now, I went to that Institute before to come here, to have some information from the last persons who saw Rose Strate, and I talked to Doc Martin and that strange Miss Kate, but it seems they can't help me. That woman never met my father when she was at the Institute, or, if she met him, she was really good to hide it to everyone"

This time Daisy couldn't hide her starting: did that woman go to the Institute? Did she really talk to Doc Martin and Miss Kate?

"They simply told me they don't know 'bout any affair of Rose Strate. They didn't ever see my father", Erika shook again her head, sighing, "just a beating the air. Your fiancée is the next step to know something 'bout my father".

That woman seemed really stubborn, and Daisy didn't like her obsession and her wandering looking for information, and that obsession risked to join Enos' one: they both wanted to know about their parents, and Daisy was sure it couldn't be an healthy meeting.

"… and to know if… he's really my brother"

Daisy's eyes opened wide: Erika Salinger knew EVERYTHING. There was no need any more to walk on a vague path, now.

"Well, I don't know if Enos is your brother, and Enos too doesn't know if you're his sister. He can't help you. It's already a really difficult situation, for him. So… please, go away", Daisy's voice turned unsure and somehow imploring, and she hated herself for it, so she tried to regain her previous boldness, "You won't hurt Enos. I'll stop you, in any possible way"

Erika too showed her boldness, "It's not something you can stop. It's something between me and your fiancée, and I bet he wants to know everything the same way I do".

For the first time Daisy noticed how that woman didn't call Enos with his name, but with "your fiancée", as she was trying to maintain a sort of distance, despite her willing to know him: Enos was the son of the woman who killed her father, and maybe his brother, and it seemed Erika Salinger didn't know if hate him or not.

Too much confusion and contrasting emotions, both from Erika and from Enos.

Daisy stiffened, and she turned to Bo, Luke and Cooter, enough distant not to hear her talking to Erika but enough near to intervene (maybe if Luke talked to that woman… her older cousin had a gift with words and a sharp mind: he could be for sure more quiet and more convincing than her).

Her cousins were looking at her and Erika, a serious look on their face and their body apparently relaxed, their back resting against the General Lee and their arms folded, but ready to run to her, just in case of a catfight, not so uncharacteristic being Daisy that sort of tiger they knew pretty well, a tiger ready to jump on her enemy if that enemy threatened her family.

Luke caught Daisy's silent ask for help, and he slowly unfolded his arms, ready to reach her, when the General's C.B. buzzed.

Daisy looked at her cousins talking through the C.B. and then Luke approaching her.

"Daisy, it's uncle Jesse. The Hospital called the farm. There's a problem with Enos"

Luke's words made Daisy freeze, her mind totally driven to the Hospital, totally forgetting of Erika Salinger.

"Come on", Luke walked to the General Lee, and Daisy followed him.

When Bo, Luke and Daisy entered Enos' room, after they talked to doctors, he was sleeping.

Daisy was relieved by doctors' words: Enos had a complication, but fortunately not a so dangerous complication; for sure he'd have stayed in Hospital for some more days than expected, nothing else.

"Hey, sugar", she touched gently his forehead, brushing back a lock of hair; he was burning with fever.

When he opened his eyes he gently smiled, removing the oxygen mask and trying to sit up, "Hi Dais. Please, hug me. I need you".

Daisy was surprised by his open request of affection and physical touch, but not so surprised as Bo and Luke, who looked at each other, the same way they looked at each other the day Enos came from the Institute: his open looking for physical touch with his gestures was surprising, and even more surprising was this blatant verbal request.

Was it because of the fever?

Bo and Luke looked at Daisy gently putting back the oxygen mask on Enos' face and hugging him tight, and they didn't miss the shadow of surprise and worrisome on Daisy's face.

She held him tight, realizing how much he was burning with fever and wondering if his way to act was because of fever: since that night at the Institute Enos suddenly changed his behaviour, forgetting his usual shyness and prudence, and Daisy, now, was starting to doubt if it was really a good thing or if it was due to a sort of shock, a shock even more deep Daisy thought of. His way to hang on her (and on uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke, in a different way) was for sure a positive thing (a lot better that take things for himself) but, on the other side, it showed his pain and discomfiture in a dramatic way.

Thinking of this new side of Enos, she held him 'till he fell asleep.

"Erika Salinger?", uncle Jesse sank into his arm-chair, his look lost outside the window, the same way of the day Rose Strate came to Hazzard for the last time.

Daisy nodded, "Yeah, I have to find a way to convince her to go away, no matter what"

"I don't think it's a good idea, Daisy".

Daisy looked at her uncle, her mouth wide open, "But… uncle Jesse…"

Uncle Jesse raised her hand, a gentle gesture to stop her, "Now, Daisy, let me explain. First of all, I think you can't stop her, she'll find a way to talk to Enos, some day or another. Second, I think Enos has the right to talk to her, if he wants to: it's HIS decision, not your one; it's something too much important 'bout his life and identity. Third, somehow Erika Salinger and Enos are facing something similar, and, somehow, I think she could be a… gift for him: she doesn't want to hurt him, it seems, but only to talk to him and to KNOW, the same way he does"

"A… GIFT?", Daisy was shocked by her uncle's words.

"I'm not sure 'bout it, but my instinct and my experience usually don't fail. Obviously, we should check on Enos and Erika meeting"

Luke cleared his throat, his sign of a possible unwelcome talk, "Well, but… do you think Enos'll be able to face this… thing? I mean, his way to…", he looked at Daisy and he averted his eyes when he saw her blushing, "his way to … hang on Daisy is a bit…", he thought of a fitting word, "… scaring?"

Uncle Jesse shook his head, "No, not scaring. Sad, 'cause it shows his pain, a pain so deep he can't hide it, but, on the other hand, it's a LOT better he opens up to us, and especially to Daisy. I'd be a lot more worried if he acted the same way he did after his mother's arrival, avoiding us and taking everything for himself: he can't take things for himself anymore, and he's understood it, it's sad but it's good. Do you know what I mean?"

A new perspective from wise uncle Jesse: Bo, Luke and Daisy remained silent, pondering on the implicit truth in his words.

"Anyway, it's better I have a talk with that woman before she meets Enos, just to know who she is and what she wants"

Uncle Jesse stood up and he walked to the door.

Daisy sighed in relief: if there was a man who could talk properly to Erika Salinger, that man was uncle Jesse.